Frame stave for a heddle frame



Oct. 24, 1967 r y B. R. K0 H 3,348,580

FRAME STAVE FOR A HEDDLE FRAME Filed Oct .14, 1965 r 2 Sheets-Sheet Q l i Oct. 24, 1967 54R. KOCH FRAME S'TAVE FOR A HEDDLE FRAME Filed Oct. 14, 1965 1D 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,348,580 FRAME STAVE FOR A HEDDLE FRAME Bernhard R. Koch, Horgenberg, Switzerland, assignor to Grob & C0. AG., Horgen, Switzerland Filed Oct. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 495,791 Claims priority, application Switzerland, May 12, 1965,

5 Claims. (Cl. 139-91) The subject of the present invention is a frame stave for a heddle frame, the frame stave having a part with a hollow profile and being made, normally of light metal.

Such frame staves aresubjected in the use to bending stresses which are greater the longer the working width of the loom. If the working width of the loom amounts to 200 or 300 cm. or more and if the loom is working with a high number of picks per minute, then considerable bending of the frame staves could take place. This has the result that the heddles are either deranged or stretched and can no longer act properly. Taut heddles or heddles which are aslant adversely affect the working of the loom and the quality of the cloth produced. If the heddles are tautened and rel-axed in rapid succession, breakages can arise at the end loops and this results in interruption of weaving.

Attempts so far made to obviate these disadvantages have been by use of stronger frame staves and by the insertion of intermediate struts in the heddle frames. The latter are however not favoured because they divide the warp and subject the warp ends to an additional friction.

Limits are set to possible increase in the dimensions of the hollow profile of the frame because of the increased weight of the staves and the increased cost of the extra material used. In addition, limits are set to the possible increase in the thickness of the frame staves by the pitch of the harness of the loom and thus it is only really possible to increase the depth of the frame staves.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of present heddle frame staves.

It is a further object to provide a strong frame stave of a convenient form of construction which can be readily accommodated in a loom end which, for its strength, is of minimum weight and cost.

These objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing on one side of the hollow profile part of a frame stave a web, for example in the form of a metal strip.

The height of the web is dimensioned according to the bending stress to be experienced by the frame stave and it is thus possible to obtain maximum resistance to bending with a minimum of additional weight. At the same time, by suitable shaping of the web (i.e. varying its height across the frame stave) it is possible to make the resistance of the stave greatest where the bending stress applied to it is greatest.

A further advantage of the construction according to the invention is that in many cases it is sufficient to provide a single size of hollow profile section for many different sizes or types of loom since the size of the web applied to the hollow profile part can be varied according to the length of the frame stave and the stress relationship of the loom. Thus all the other parts on the heddle frame can be adapted to the single size of hollow profile part and do not need to be varied from loom to loom.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one embodiment thereof given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a frame stave according to the invention having adjacent lateral support sections, and

by 1. It is connected to the lateral supports 2 and 3 in amanner known and therefore not shown.

The frame stave itself includes a flattened tubular metal hollow profile part 4 the walls of which are closed and continuous to form an uninterrupted wall structure of oblate section for example of light metal or steel. A spanshaped reinforcing web 5 made of sheet or band metal having a straight edge and an opposite edge has a border 7 comprising a piece of metal of U-section encompassing and tightly engaging of said opposite span-shaped edge of the web. This border 7 serves as a strengthening and reinforcing protection for the reinforcing span-shaped edge of the web. The reinforcing span-shaped web 5 spans the hollow profile part 4 and is afiixed thereto by means of connecting members 6 spaced one from the other and whose number depends on the length of the frame stave. As can be seen from the drawing the reinforcing web spans the length of said frame stave and, the connecting members project through cut-outs 8 into the closed interior of the hollow profile part 4 and are firmly secured thereto by welding, rivetting or the like. The part of each connecting member projecting from the hollow profile part has a slit 9 longitudinal to the frame stave into which the lower straight edge of the span-shaped reinforcing web 5 enters. The span-shaped reinforcing webs 5 may be fixedly or movably secured to the connecting members 6. The span height of the reinforcing web 5 is chosen in accordance with the bending stresses expected. It will be highest or of increased with in the middle or central portion and can taper in a direction toward the frame stave and toward the ends of the frame stave either in an inverted catenary curve or in a straight line. At the same time it is also possible to carry the span-shaped reinforcing web 5 beyond the side supports 2, 3.

The span-shaped reinforcing web 5 can be provided with cut out portions or breaks or depressions by corrugation to decrease weight.

The span-shaped reinforcing web may be constructed in one piece as is shown in the embodiment in the drawing. It can however be multi-partite and include for example two adjacent bands or strips secured by their lower edges to the hollow profile part.

The border 7 is dimensioned according to requirements.

The strengthening caused by this fitting allows the height of the Web to be kept smaller.

What I claim is:

1. A frame stave for a heddle frame, said frame stave comprising:

a hollow profile section of completely closed and uninterrupted wall structure extending longitudinally of the frame stave, said hollow profile section having an oblate section and elongated form with top and bottm edge wall portions;

a span-shaped reinforcing web section spanning one of said edge wall portions and extending longitudinally of the frame stave, said reinforcing web being secured along one edge to an edge wall portion of the hollow oblate profile section.

2. A frame stave for a heddle frame, said frame stave comprising:

a hollow profile section of completely closed and uninterrupted wall structure extending longitudinally of the frame stave and an oblate section and having a parallel sides and top and bottom edge parts;

a span-shaped reinforcing web section also extending longitudinally'of the frame stave and projecting from the top edge part of said hollow profile section, the plane of said web section being parallel to the said sides of the oblate section, and

uninterrupted wall structure of oblate section, said wall structure having substantially parallel side walls connected by bent end wall portions, a span-shaped reinforcing web formed of sheet' metal having a straight edge and an opposite span-like edge, said reinforcing web being of increased width in its central area and decreasing in height and Width in opposite directions toward the ends of said stave and in directions toward said stave, and a series of spaced apart connecting members rigidly aflixed to one 'of said bent end wall portions, said connecting members being provided with longitudinally extending slots arranged in longitudinal alignment for receiving the straight edge of said span-shaped reinforcing web.

4. A frame stave according to claim 3, wherein said web is provided with a strengthening member along its span-like edge remote from said tubular metal member.

5. A frame stave according to claim 3, wherein said web extends to points adjacent said tubular metal member at both ends thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,482,149 9/ 1949 Blickenstorfer 139--92 2,625,957 1/ 1953 Consoletti 13992 2,697,453 12/1954 Formenti 13991 X 3,221,776 12/1965 Wagner 13992 FOREIGN PATENTS 503,831 6/ 195 1 Belgium.

525,339 1/1954 Belgium.

733,443 7/1932 France.

846,943 6/ 1939' France.

0 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

J. KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FRAME STAVE FOR A HEDDLE FRAME, SAID FRAME STAVE COMPRISING: A HOLLOW PROFILE SECTION OF COMPLETELY CLOSED AND UNINTERRUPTED WALL STRUCTURE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE FRAME STAVE, SAID HOLLOW PROFILE SECTION HAVING AN OBLATE SECTION AND ELONGATED FORM WITH TOP AND BOTTOM EDGE WALL PORTIONS; A SPAN-SHAPED REINFORCING WEB SECTION SPANNING ONE OF SAID EDGE WALL PORTIONS AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE FRAME STAVE, SAID REINFORCING WEB BEING SECURED ALONG ONE EDGE TO AN EDGE WALL PORTION OF THE HOLLOW OBLATE PROFILE SECTION. 